Created by the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities
in partnership with the University of Nebraska Press
and funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Some intervales of fair weather last night, rain and wind Continue this morning, as we are in a Cove & the Mountains verry high & Pine Spruce [1] verry high & thick Cannot deturmine the procise course of the winds. I walked to the top of the first part of the mountain with much fatigue as the distance was about 3 miles thro' intolerable thickets of Small Pine, arrow wood a groth much resembling arrow wood with briers, [2] growing to 10 & 15 feet high interlocking with each other & Furn, aded to this difficulty the hill was So Steep that I was obliged to drawing my Self up in many places by the bowers, the Countrey Continues thick and hilley as far back a I could See. Some Elk Sign, rained all day moderately. I am wet &c. &c. The Hail which fell 2 night past is yet to be Seen on the mountain on which I was to day. I Saw a Small red Berry which grows on a Stem of about 6 or 8 Inches from the Ground, in bunches and in great quantity on the Mountains, the taste insiped. [3] I saw a number of verry large Spruce Pine one of which I measured 14 feet around and verry tall. My principal objects in assdg. this mountain was 〈not〉 to view the river below, the weather being So Cloudey & thick that I could not See any distance down, discovered the wind high from the N. W. and waves high at a Short distance below our Encampment, (Squar displeased with me for not [Sin?] &c &) Wap-to a excellent root which is rosted and tastes like a potato [4] I Cut my hand despatched 3 men in a Indian canoe (which is calculated to ride high Swells) down to examine if they can find the Bay at the mouth & good harbers below for us to proceed in Safty. The Tides at every flud come in with great Swells & Breake against the rocks & Drift trees with great fury— the rain Continue all the evening nothing to eate but Pounded fish which we have as a reserve See Store, and what Pore fish we can kill up the branch on which we are encamped our canoe and the three men did not return this evening— if we were to have cold weather to accompany the rain which we have had for this 6 or 8 days passed we must eneviatilbly Suffer verry much as Clothes are Scerce with us.
Some intervales of fair weather last night, rain continue this morning. I walked up the Brook & assended the first Spur of the mountain with much fatigue, the distance about 3 miles, through an intolerable thickets of Small pine, a groth much resembling arrow wood on the Stem of which there is thorns; this groth about 12 or 15 feet high inter lockd into each other and Scattered over the high fern & fallen timber, added to this the hills were So Steep that I was compelled to draw my Self up by the assistance of those bushes— The Timber on those hills are of the pine Species large and tall maney of them more than 200 feet high & from 8 to 10 feet through at the Stump those hills & as far back as I could See, I Saw Some Elk Sign, on the Spur of the mountain tho' not fresh. I killed a Salmon trout on my return. The Hail which fell 2 nights past is yet to be Seen on the mountains; I Saw in my ramble to day a red berry resembling Solomons Seal berry which the nativs call Sol-me and use it to eate. my principal object in assending this mountain was to view the countrey below, the rain continuing and weather proved So Cloudy that I could not See any distance on my return we dispatched 3 men Colter, Willard and Shannon in the Indian canoe to get around the point if possible and examine the river, and the Bay below for a god harber for our Canoes to lie in Safty &c. The tide at every floot tide Came 〈in〉 with great swells brakeing against the rocks & Drift trees with great fury The rain Continue all day. nothing to eate but pounded fish which we Keep as a reserve and use in Situations of this kind.
Wednesday 13th Nov. 1805. hard rain continued all last night a rainy morning. in the afternoon three men [5] Set out in the Small canoe in order to go down towards the mouth of the River and See what discovrees they could make. as the wind continues So high that obledges us to stay—
Wednesday 13th. This was another disagreeable rainy day, and we remained at camp, being unable to get away. At 9 o'clock in the forenoon it became a little more calm than usual; and 3 men [6] took a canoe, which we got from the Indians of a kind excellent for riding swells, and set out to go to the point on the sea shore, to ascertain whether there were any white people there, or if they were gone.
Wednesday Novemr. 13th The storm continued & hard rain during last night, and this morning rainey disagreeable weather. Our Buffalo robes are getting rotten, and the most part of our baggage were wet. We have a very disagreeable time of it, the most part of our Men having slept in the rain, ever since this storm began, & are continually wet. In the afternoon three [7] of our party set out in our smallest Canoe, in order to go down to the Mouth of the Columbia River to make discoveries
Created by the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities
in partnership with the University of Nebraska Press
and funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.